Eagle's Glory

Although the level of tailoring is average, the dress fits very well.

But this is not surprising, after all, Chanel knows the master's figure well after spending so long together day and night.

Soon, Egron put on this military uniform and the iconic Napoleon bicorne hat on his head.

Then, Chanel raised her head and stared blankly at the young man.

In her sight, his fair face looked even more handsome against the black military uniform and hat, with a bit of seriousness and fierceness unique to soldiers, and his blond hair seemed to be shining in the sunlight outside the window shining brightly.

"How is it, Chanel?" Aigron asked.

Although he didn't look in the mirror, but from Chanel's admiring and admiring gaze, he guessed that his appearance must be very good.

"It's so beautiful, Your Majesty!" Chanel blurted out, "You are the incarnation of Apollo!"

"It's not so outrageous!" Aigron said with a smile.

Although he is humble on the surface, he is quite happy in his heart.

In the imperial era, gorgeous military uniforms have always been the favorite of imperial soldiers. Whether it is ordinary infantry, artillery, hussars, cuirassiers, etc., they all have their own military uniforms and iconic attires. Spend a fortune.

The same goes for the armies of other countries.

Soldiers are creatures of honor and vanity, and of course they love attire that makes them look special.

Although under the current conditions, it is impossible and unnecessary for him to design so many types of military uniforms, but in order to satisfy the vanity of his subordinates, he is also very willing to try his best to make everyone dress up better under the circumstances of his own characteristics— —

In addition, in the era of the empire, soldiers needed to spend their own money to install equipment, but Egron was prepared to bear the expenditure himself. Anyway, there are not many people now, so it doesn't cost much to him, and makes his subordinates happy. more able to motivate their morale.

"I'm telling the truth, Your Majesty..." Chanel kept looking at the young man, and then replied in a low voice, "You suit this outfit so well!"

"It's all thanks to you, Chanel." Eggron smiled, "It seems to work well, very good, then let's use this suit as a template for our military uniforms, and you have made great contributions again. "

While speaking, he walked to his desk, picked up his saber, and then posed a posture casually, skillfully swinging a sword flower.

"How is it? Chanel?" He turned his head and waited for the other party's compliment.

He was already imagining that in the future his army would wear such a military uniform and rush to the battlefield with arrogance.

However, Chanel didn't speak this time. She suddenly stepped forward and hugged her master from behind desperately.

"Your Majesty... that's great..." she said with an extremely excited tone, "This is everything I want to see!"

While talking, she moved her nose, sniffing the smell of the new cloth behind the young man.

"You are the embodiment of the Empire and everything we need to recreate."

Although Egron was a little surprised by Chanel's actions at first, he soon understood the other party's joy.

"Thank you, Chanel." He did not break free from Chanel's embrace, but put down his sword and stroked her cheek, "I'm glad that we are moving towards the same goal, we still have a lot of things to do next, Please continue to share your wisdom and courage with me, and I will never forget your exploits."

"I will, I will always do this. As long as you achieve great things, I am willing to do as much patience and sacrifice as you are the monarch who shines on me and the person I will be loyal to all my life." Chanel slightly closed her eyes "Maybe after Your Highness Teresa comes down, I can only watch you and His Highness revive the empire, but I am willing to make such a sacrifice. As long as I can silently guard you and your empire, it will be eternal for me." Unforgettable honor. What more could I ask for?"

"Whether you ask or not is different from whether I give it to you, Chanel." Aigron shook his head with a smile, "I am by no means a person who treats my friends harshly, you are already my knight, and there will be even more glory in the future honor—wait for it."　　

63. Plans and strategies

Just when Aigron was furious, Chanel gave him an unexpected surprise.

As if he got the toy he wanted the most, the boy was overjoyed and smiled very happily, and the haze on his face was also swept away.

He thanked Chanel, and then asked her to call the young officers under him.

The leader is naturally Michel Ney, Duke of Elchingen, who has the most military experience and the most prominent family background.

When he saw Aigron's current appearance, he was surprised at first.

"Your Majesty! Your outfit..."

"This is the military uniform I just had someone make." Aigron replied, "What do you think?"

"Your Majesty! It's very good, and it fits my aesthetics very well!" The Duke of Elchingen came back to his senses and replied hastily.

The others immediately agreed.

Although this is also true, Aigron does look heroic after wearing this outfit, but even if it doesn't look good, they can't give another answer.

"Since everyone has no objections, that's good. Let's use this body as a template to create military uniforms. We really should dress uniformly." Aigron said with a smile.

Naturally, it is impossible for everyone to have any opinions, and it is up to His Majesty to decide.

However, Aigron is about to enter the really important part next.

"It's been hard work for you all this time, everyone." He looked at his subordinates with a sincere expression, "You contributed your experience and wisdom to drill my army, so that I have a direct armed force that I can always rely on. It is everything I dreamed of... I will never live a life of being at the mercy of others, and I will fight for my own destiny with you."

This kind of opening remarks is necessary, and all the officers stood respectfully and listened to His Majesty's instructions.

"I told you before that our next stop is Greece, and our enemies will be Turkey and the Egyptians." Aigron continued, "I admit that this seems to be a daunting enemy, at least with our current Weak power is absolutely difficult to match alone. I am not a fantasist but a realist, so I will admit it. Also, I am very happy that even after seeing such terrible difficulties, you still choose to stay with me By my side, never leave me... This kind of loyalty and courage is a kindness that I will never forget."

Having said that, Egron subconsciously picked up his saber and put it on the table to show his will.

"But even warriors should not die in vain, and I will not send you to perform suicidal missions, which will only lose my own strength in vain... So, my idea is to do it in a skillful way. Confront our enemies. In other words, what we have to do is not only to fight desperately, but more importantly, to take advantage of the contradictions among countries to gain the greatest reputation and interests for us with the least casualties and costs. "

His words caused a commotion from the others, and they were all a little puzzled.

"What do you mean?" asked the Duke of Elchingen.

"While I was trying to fish in troubled waters, I clearly knew that the major powers were also intriguing in this small place, and they were full of contradictions, but they also possessed extremely powerful power... This power could even make Osman The empire itself is reduced to dust."

Speaking of this, Aigron changed the subject again, "The War of Independence has been fought for several years, and it has been won several times before. It stands to reason that if the Greeks were united, they should have been independent long ago. In the end, they fell This desperate situation is because of their internal factions, and they started fighting each other before the War of Independence was won... This country is torn apart, a mess, chaotic and corrupt, and, I don’t think anyone can rule them well.”

Although Greece at this time was small and poor, its internal forces were complicated. Generally speaking, there were several factions:

The rebel army dominated by civilians and peasants, led by Theozolos-Kroktronis, is the most passionate force in Greece. They hope to get rid of the rule of Turkey and usher in national independence.It is also they who have repeatedly defeated the Turkish army who came to suppress them, and preserved the fire of the Greek nation;

The second faction is the conservative faction dominated by landlords and wealthy families in various places. This faction does not oppose national independence, but cares more about safeguarding their own interests and privileges. They harm their own interests after being independent, so they hope to find a group that can better protect their own interests;

The third faction is a part of intellectuals and high-ranking military officials, who are connected with foreign governments through personal relationships, or are simply agents of foreign governments, so they are collectively called the pro-European faction.This faction is divided into the pro-Russian faction and the pro-Western faction, but they generally hope to get rid of the brutal rule of the Turks and avoid "mob rule", so they are also very hostile to the first faction.

At the beginning of the War of Independence, the rebels won repeatedly. In January 1822, Greece held the first National Assembly in Epidauer, declared the independence of Greece, and established a national government.

However, at the same time as the establishment of the government, violent turmoil occurred in Greece.

The aristocratic and pro-European forces mentioned above were afraid of the expansion of the rebel army's power, so they united and began to reject the rebel army.

In April 1824, Greece held the second National Assembly, and the leader of the rebel army and war hero Kroktronis was dismissed from the post of commander-in-chief.

The supporters of Koroktronis refused to accept and refused to recognize the government, so Greece once had two governments coexisting.After two fierce armed conflicts, Kroktronis and his supporters suffered defeat. He himself was arrested and put in prison. They didn't do anything to stir up a popular uprising.

Before the War of Independence was successful, the Greek elites were already engaged in internal strife and began to kill each other.Quite a bit like the Northern Expedition hadn’t been completed, and the Kuomintang conservatives united with the old forces to strangle the revolutionary forces—it’s just that the rebel army composed of Greek civilians was far behind the revolutionary party a century later in strength and awareness, so we only Can watch his own defeat, usurped leadership of the War of Independence.

In April 1827, representatives from all over Greece held the third National Assembly in Theresin. The forces of the rebel army had been wiped out, and the remaining factions reached a compromise, electing Capodistria as president.

The president studied medicine in Italy in his early years, and in 1799 he served as the attending doctor at the Russian Military Hospital in Corfu. In 1800 he served as Secretary of the Legislative Assembly in Ionia. From 1809 to 1827 he worked in the Russian Foreign Ministry, during which he worked in the Russian Embassy in Vienna, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Russian Danube Front, the Russian Embassy in Switzerland and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After the outbreak of the Greek National War of Independence in 1821, he became the leader of the pro-Russian faction in the uprising camp. According to the order of the tsar, he gave financial assistance to the insurgents.

Because Britain and Austria were afraid of Russia's increasing influence, they intervened together, and Capodistria was forced to resign.And after several years of dormant operation, he was elected as the President of the Greek Republic.

A man who served the Russian tsar for nearly 20 years is now the titular head of Greece, and he will not hesitate to seek the tsar's support to serve Russia's interests.

That is to say, with the welcome and active cooperation of the conservatives, the cause of Greek independence has become a pawn dominated by foreign powers. The civilians and peasants who had shed the most blood and sacrificed the most were excluded from the leadership.

It was when the Greek military leadership was divided and the military and political leaders were busy fighting for power, the Ottoman Empire regrouped and then joined forces with the Egyptian ruler Ali Pasha to march into Greece.The cause of Greek independence, which was originally a good situation, has been turned into a precarious situation today. Most of Greece's land has fallen again, and it can only be huddled in a corner and lingering.

But even at this time, the various factions in Greece have not stopped fighting among themselves, and are still engaged in fierce internal disputes.

Prospering nations are different, but nations that are declining are all alike.

Under the watchful eyes of the officers, Aigron explained to them the information he had and his own analysis.

He knew that if he wanted to command these people well, he first needed to unify his thinking and encourage them to agree with his ideas and ideas.

"To sum up, although the Turks and Egyptians are powerful, they are not that terrible-the Ottoman Empire has long been decayed, and they were defeated by a group of peasants and stragglers several times before! Although we are small, but As long as we have the courage and determination, we can do it and even do it better." Aigron concluded confidently, "And we will continue to grow, and I will invest all my money and energy to make us a better player in Greece. Form a large army, and let the world see that I saved this country and nation that was on the brink of destruction! And this time our cause is just, and even the people who hate us the most can't fault us."

Aigron's words can't help but arouse the leisurely fascination of these young people. At this age, who among them does not aspire to make contributions and even become a hero that attracts worldwide attention?

"And what do you mean by using the great powers?" asked the Duke of Elchingen.

"The Russians hate me very much, and they also hate the surname Bonaparte. They will never want to see the Bonaparte family become kings in Greece; but this kind of hatred can be used. As long as we make a little performance, the Tsar will He will panic, he will take the initiative to launch a war against the Turks, and he will never let me enjoy the honor and glory of the savior." Egron said confidently, "And their actions will attract the Turks. Attention, after all, it is not fatal for the Turks to lose Greece, but if the Cossacks enter Constantinople, they will be finished, so their main force will be used against the Russians, and our pressure will be reduced .”

In fact, he did not guess out of thin air. In history, in 1828, Tsar Nicholas I of the Russian Empire launched the Eighth Russo-Turkish War in the name of supporting Greek independence, and sent 10,000+ troops to march from the Balkans and the Caucasus. , defeated the Turks, and once approached the coveted Constantinople.

The victory of the Russian Empire caused panic among the Western European powers, who united to put pressure on the Russians and force the Tsar to retreat.So Russia and Turkey signed the "Treaty of Adrianople", the Russian Empire obtained the mouth of the Danube and its nearby islands and a large area of ​​​​the east coast of the Black Sea, and Turkey was forced to recognize Georgia, Imeredia, and Mingrelia incorporated into Russia.

In this timeline that has been tampered with, Egron is convinced that as long as he wins a few victories in Greece and becomes famous, the Russians will attack faster and will never let him get involved in Constantinople.

After Tsar Nicholas came to power, he severely suppressed the uprising of the Decembrists and aroused a lot of dissatisfaction at home and abroad. He also urgently needed to establish his prestige at home and abroad, and launched a war while the Turks were too busy to take care of themselves. Use the honor of victory to win national applause for yourself-this is the most traditional way in Russia, and the Tsar will never refuse.

"I understand..." Under Aigron's explanation, everyone suddenly realized.

If you think about it carefully, it does make sense.

"As long as the tsar marches, our chance will come." Aigron clenched his fist with his right hand and said confidently, "Of course I won't be so stupid as to lead you to fight the tsar's army again, but I can be sure, The Western European powers would never want to see Constantinople fall into the hands of the Tsar, and this is my dream opportunity to step up and make a real deal with these countries."

Yes, he was sure, the advance of the Russian Empire, and their glorious victories, would irritate the Western powers as much as they had in history.

Although they hated the Bonaparte family, this dislike was nothing compared to the tsar's march into Constantinople.

As long as he puts on the posture of marching into Constantinople and completely recovering Greece, the Russian Empire will not stop, and the Western countries firmly disagree with the tsar's recovery of Rome, and they are unwilling to fight a big war in Greece—— So in the end, this deadlock needs to be resolved through negotiation.

In the end, it was nothing more than his concession, Russia's concession, Greece's independence, and he did not seek the Greek throne-this is a result acceptable to all parties.

"Are you going to use the English against the Russians?" asked the Duke of Elchingen, "and exchange their recognition."

"Yes, I want to make friends with the British." Aigron shrugged, "They are enemies of our family, but at least at this moment, we can negotiate and even turn enemies into friends. As long as they come to me, I will Very happy to make concessions for them. And if we contribute to solving a European crisis, then we deserve our compensation, don't we?"

That's really the whole idea of ​​Eggron.

He didn't care about the life and death of the Greeks from the beginning to the end (the Greeks have been killing each other for so long anyway), and only hoped to use Greece as a bargaining chip in exchange for better benefits.

He felt that if he did it right, maybe his relationship with the Austrians could also be repaired by this opportunity.

He is not afraid of the Austrians, but Sophie is in their hands right now. If Sophie and his children are real, he hopes to do something for them and try his best to get a better treatment—just treat it as Make it up.

He quickly put aside these distracting thoughts, and then looked at the crowd again.

"Everyone, everything sounds very good, but there is only one thing, we have to rely on our own ability and courage to complete the first step, we have to turn the tide, only in this way will we be noticed. People who have no strength and no ability , and don't deserve any attention from others. So next, please work hard for me and yourselves!"　　

64. Trading and life experience

Let me climb the cliffs of Sunia;

There it'll be just me and the waves

We can hear each other whispering,

Let me die like a swan;

I don't want the kingdom of slaves to be mine—

Just break that Samos glass!

The great poet Byron has passed away, but his poems live forever.

At this moment, Edmond Dantès is silently reading this piece of "Sorrow for Greece", wandering in this land that never has peace.

He is now in a small port called Lavrion, which is located at the southernmost tip of the Balkan Peninsula, very close to Athens.

In the past, it was a busy port city, where fishermen and merchant ships shuttled constantly, exchanging Asian and European goods with each other.

But now, the back and forth raids of the rebel army and the Turkish army have left this area in a long-term chaos, and the port has declined.

The long-term war has made the residents poorer and unable to consume foreign goods; the war has also discouraged the merchants and turned to seek safer places for transactions, so the desolation and dilapidation here are inevitable.

While all walks of life declined rapidly, one business suddenly prospered abnormally-that is, the supply of military supplies.

Right now, the coalition forces of Turkey and Egypt are gathering on the land of Greece on a large scale, and they are about to pacify this rebellious land for the Ottoman Empire, and this small port has also become one of the transshipment ports behind the army. .

Soldiers, weapons and other military supplies were continuously sent from the hinterland of the empire to supply the frontline army.

Right now, the anti-rebel army has occupied most of the land in Greece, suppressing the rebel army and the Greek Republican government to a small piece of land in the southernmost Peloponnese Peninsula.In the eyes of the rulers of Istanbul, they are now close to success. With a little more effort, they can completely crush these rebels, revive the prestige of the empire, and preserve its remaining territory.

As for what kind of devastation the people on this land will experience, they don't care at all.

It can even be said that in order to frighten the people here, they don't mind using the cruelest and most terrifying methods at all.

On April 1822, 4, the Turkish army launched the tragic Chios Island Massacre to punish the Greek insurgents.On the small island of Chios, some 11 people were killed and another 2.5 (mainly women and children) were sold into slavery.And earlier, the Turks massacred the Greeks in the city of Istanbul in 4.5-even if most of these Greeks continued to be loyal to the empire, they still could not escape death.

It is conceivable that if the rebel army finally fails in the battle against the Turkish army and the bloodthirsty and brutal Turkish army sweeps across Greece, then the previous tragedy will be staged throughout the land of Greece.

Edmond Dantès desperately hoped that his master could prevent this horrible scene from becoming a reality.

Although he has only been in Greece for a few days, he has seen the prosperity of Paris and was shocked by the desolation and dilapidation here and the tragic disasters suffered by the local people.

Greece!

At this time, Greece is not a country, but a geographical term, which is the collective name for the land in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula and a series of islands scattered in the Aegean Sea.